For the last four years we have been living as far on the edge of London as is possible whilst still (technically) being within its greater boundaries. After over a decade as Londoners we are now officially moving out. Although we’ve had this period on the fringe, straddling city and country, it still feels like A Thing. We will be entering into the folds of Kent proper. I feel apprehensive (hell, who isn’t when they move right?) and excited (bring on the change!).

Things I am going to miss:

Being within a 10 minute walk (8 minutes to be precise!) of a station with direct trains into London town

Being able to walk to buy groceries

Having every and any type of food outlet within spitting distance

Our lovely neighbours, who are kind and nice and have a soft Welsh lilt, take enough of an interest but also keep to themselves

Eygalières on an overcast day. Situated on the edge of the Alpilles in Provence.

One of the gardens we visited this summer was Le Jardin de l’Alchimiste in Provence, just outside the pretty village of Eygalières.

It was created in the late ‘90s by Alain and Marie de Larouzière (owners of the Mas de la Brune next door, a 16th century mansion built by an alchemist) with the help of French garden designers Arnaud Maurières and Eric Ossart. The garden was interesting and felt quite unlike any I’ve visited before. It was split into three main sections. First, to enter the garden, you weave your way through a maze that spells out the Hebrew word ‘Berechit’ (from the start of the bible and meaning ‘In the beginning’). You then emerge into the ‘Magical Garden’ filled with plants that have magical, medicinal or healing properties according to local tradition. The final section is the ‘Alchemist Garden’ in which the visitor journeys through the ‘black work’, the ‘white work’ and the ‘red work’ (more on this later).

Although each of the three parts of the garden are situated right alongside the other you can’t see through into each one. Each part is enclosed and you don’t see the layout or what lies ahead in each section until you have entered. It had the clever effect of adding to a sense of discovery and made the whole garden seem much larger than the actual area it covered.

The constricted entrance via the maze emphasised the transition from the real world outside to the other world of the garden. It also served to disorientate.

Once inside, the symmetrically laid Magical Garden was peaceful and tranquil. It was a grey, overcast day and it had just stopped raining. We were alone. The place was damp and empty. Serene bliss.

A rill running down the length of the Magical Garden

Much of this garden was divided into squares of planting each featuring a plant with ‘magical’ characteristics. Many of these squares were enclosed by criss-crossing willows.

The garden was bisected down the middle by a vine arch planted with 22 different varieties

The third part, the Alchemist Garden, was really interesting. From the entrance into the ‘black work’ through a dark tunnel the path twisted back on itself several times taking you further into the garden and into another corridor. The turning of each corner unveiled a new surprise. It felt like an adventure.

Dark tunnel entrance into the ‘black work’

Round the first corner – an odd corridor of pots planted up with black petunias

Round the next corner – a lovely surprise as we came upon a row of tall, black, Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’

Much taller than me (admittedly not that difficult!)

Got to love a black Aeonium

A dark pool, surrounded by black slate in the last part of the ‘black works’

According to the interpretation, the three colours or works in the Alchemist Garden represent the three steps of the alchemist’s quest for the philosopher stone to transform lead into gold. It also echoes the stages of life on the metaphysical and spiritual path to ultimate knowledge:

– The black work evokes the birth of the child and his physical development – the time of basic intelligence.

– The white work heralds the time of intellectual and emotional development. Some people are quite happy here and will spend their whole life here.

– The red work is the stage for those who are more demanding, who want to travel the whole road and who will discover the meaning of life while progressing in the plenitude of spirituality.

Eventually, from the darkness of the black we were spat out into the white – dazzled and enveloped by a sea of ‘Iceberg’ roses, heavy and dripping with the earlier rain. Over the tops of the flowers it was a mass of white as far as we could see. It was thrilling. And fun.

Compressed exit from the black work out into the white. Even the colour of the flooring transitions.

Entering the ‘white work’

Masses of white Rosa ‘Iceberg’. I’ve never been in a garden like it. Being here at the beginning of June was fortuitous as the roses looked great.

Where’s Wally version. Holding up my umbrella to make it easy!

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’ lining the path

Underplanting of Gaura

Water feature in the middle of the ‘white work’

I found the last section, the ‘red’ or ‘great work’, less aesthetically pleasing than the black and white sections but still interesting nonetheless. It just didn’t sit as comfortably, but perhaps that is what comes from a garden full of red. It isn’t exactly the most calming of colours.

At the centre was a 6-pointed star water feature – the end of the quest – with the fountain symbolising the Philosopher’s Stone. 33 segments radiated out on the paving of the surrounding circle symbolising universality.

It was interesting to visit such a purposefully designed garden, full of symbolism and meaning. It had a story to tell and took the visitor on a journey. Well worth a visit if you ever happen to pass by on holiday. And we didn’t see another soul during our visit there. Just as I like it.

Filed under: All, Gardens/Landscape, Travel Tagged: Eygalières, France, Le Jardin de l’Alchimiste, Provence]]>https://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2013/10/03/le-jardin-de-lalchimiste/feed/0girlaboutgarden0 Eygalieres1 Maze2 Rill3 Willow enclosures4 Vine arch5 Alchemist entrance6 Black pots7 Aeoniums9 Me and Aeoniums8 Aeonium close up10 Last black section13 Entrance to white14 First sight white15 Field of roses16 Me and roses17 Rose & miscanthus18 Gaura underplanting19 White water feature20 Entrance to red21 Red garden 124 Red water featureEnd of summerhttps://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2013/10/02/end-of-summer/
https://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2013/10/02/end-of-summer/#commentsWed, 02 Oct 2013 20:35:33 +0000http://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/?p=1537]]>I’ve been absent from this blog in body and mind. For some reason I haven’t really felt like writing on here. Not for a lack of things going on. But I often find summers as such. There’s too much fun to be had in the Real World and too much going on to spend time in the virtual one. Especially given the summer we’ve just had. Wowee, what a glorious one it was! I spent quite a few hours in my garden and I hope you did too.

Talking of the garden, there’s a chance that we might be moving soon. It is a planned thing. Something we sort of decided before we moved here. It has meant that I’ve always had an odd relationship with and a slight detachment from our current garden. On the one hand wanting to have fun and make my mark on it (read: carry out my every horticultural whim); but tempered on the other knowing that it wasn’t ‘forever’ and that we might move in the not-too-distant future (read: not sinking a fortune in it and not frightening off any prospective buyers).

But things can’t stand still because of what might or might not happen and this summer I’ve most enjoyed the new dahlias I planted in a couple of my raised beds earlier this spring, purposefully for cutting. After visiting Great Dixter last autumn I was determined to grow some. It’s been wonderful bringing the assorted colourful blooms indoors. So cheering.

The cultivars I selected were: D. ‘New Baby’, ‘City of Leiden’, ‘Bishop of Auckland’, ‘Chat Noir’, ‘Rip City’ (tubers which I ordered and paid for from Sarah Raven), ‘Fascination’ and ‘Honka’ (potted tubers given to me courtesy of Plantify). I planted all of them in situ as soon as I received them back in early April, chucked a thick layer of mulch over them and crossed my fingers. Foliage started appearing around the end of June/beginning of July with flowers towards the end of summer.

…have stood out in performance. They have flowered well and the blooms are of a lovely form and colour. They also have nice, long stalks for cutting. Sadly two of the tubers I received (‘Rip City’ and ‘Chat Noir’) didn’t produce anything – had by frost perhaps? Whilst ‘Jowey Mirella’ came out looking like this…

Unknown dahlia. Should have been ‘Jowey Mirella’!

…So I didn’t really end up with any of the deep, black-red flowers I was after. ‘Bishop of Auckland’ did appear but the blooms have been sparse and the plant has seemed very slow to get going. Unsurprisingly, the potted tubers I received from Plantify were quicker off the blocks initially than the bare tubers from Sarah Raven, but most of them pretty much caught up eventually.

The other thing that’s been a big hit in the garden this summer has been Acidanthera murielae (or Gladiolus murielae). I planted the corms up in a big terracotta pot on the patio in April. The first beautiful white blooms appeared in July and it flowered on long, arching spikes throughout the rest of the summer. The large, strap shaped leaves looked gorgeous too catching the evening light. Two thumbs up.

Acidanthera murielae

Filed under: All, Plants Tagged: Acidanthera murielae, Dahlias, summer]]>https://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2013/10/02/end-of-summer/feed/3girlaboutgardenJug of dahliasDahlia HonkaDahlia New BabyDahlia unknownAcidanthera murielaeBluebells at Emmettshttps://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2013/05/25/bluebells-at-emmetts/
https://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2013/05/25/bluebells-at-emmetts/#commentsSat, 25 May 2013 22:17:31 +0000http://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/?p=1525]]>This weekend we hot-footed it to Emmetts Garden to take in the bluebells that are out now. I’ve been itching to catch them for the past two weeks but this was the first chance we’ve had. I think we may have been a little late to see them in their prime but they were still a gorgeous vision. That fuzz of blue spreading out under the dappled light of the burgeoning tree canopy. Such a joyous sight.

Tricky to capture in a photograph. They just seem to recede the closer you get!

Bluebells at Emmets

Emmetts is a National Trust garden that is well known for its bluebell display, but there are plenty of other places you can see them too. The Woodland Trust have a handy search for bluebell woods here – just type in your postcode.

On this visit to Emmetts the Davidia was also in flower. The ‘flowers’ are actually a pair of showy, white bracts which surround a dense cluster of actual flowers in the centre. The bracts give the impression of a flight of doves or white pocket-handkerchiefs, hence its common names of dove tree, ghost tree and pocket handkerchief tree. It can take up to 20 years for a tree to flower well!

Branches laden with the handkerchief-like flowers

I love this Instagram pic – it looks like wallpaper, or a painting!

The distinctly conical shape of a Davidia

I also loved this meadow, or field, dotted with pink and purple tulips too – quite an unusual way of planting them I thought. So pretty and effective.

And we admired the spectacular views over the rolling Kent countryside.

Filed under: All, Gardens/Landscape, Plants Tagged: bluebells, Davidia involucrata, Emmetts Garden, National Trust]]>https://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2013/05/25/bluebells-at-emmetts/feed/1girlaboutgardenBluebells 1Bluebells 2photo 4photo 2photo 3Tulips 1Kent countryChelsea Flower Show 2013https://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2013/05/22/chelsea-flower-show-2013/
https://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2013/05/22/chelsea-flower-show-2013/#commentsWed, 22 May 2013 22:08:29 +0000http://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/?p=1511]]>You may have noticed that it’s Chelsea Flower Show this week. I was there on Monday for press day. Chelsea is still an event in the horticultural calendar that I look forward to. Even if it is a bit of a circus and even if it does start to feel a bit same-y each year. It is what it is – artificial, a bit corporate and something of a media frenzy – but if it gets more people interested in gardening and plants then that’s fine by me. It’s also the best – or at least the most prestigious and visible – showcase we have in this country for garden design. Plus it’s a good excuse for a jolly and a catch-up for horticultural folk.

Having said all that, I didn’t think it was a stand-out show this year. Disappointing given it’s the show’s centenary. I expected a bit more pizazz. Garden gnomes just don’t cut it.

My favourite garden was Christopher Bradley-Hole’s design for the Daily Telegraph. It’s the one that most captured my attention and gave me the most viewing pleasure. Beautifully executed, it was stunning, striking, peaceful. It spoke to me and made me stop and stare. Not that I would want this garden for myself – what a bitch all those cubes of box and yew would be to trim. But it’s the kind of thing I like to see when I come to Chelsea and I like the idea behind it.

Daily Telegraph Garden

I also enjoyed the East Village garden by Balston Agius for being a bit different from your usual Chelsea designs with its sinuous lines, bold planting and angular viewing platforms that jutted out into the garden.

East Village Garden

I thought two gardens were let down by the hard landscaping elements. Sadly the Sentebale garden didn’t appeal to me at all. The planting at the side, along the wall, was pretty but the hard landscaping was too much – far too dominating and out of proportion to the garden – and I didn’t like the material used. The polished grey stepping stones and expanse of grey steps up to the grey round house left me a bit cold.

Sentebale Garden

Chris Beardshaw’s garden had some gorgeous planting but the path down the centre didn’t work for me – it was ugly and distracting.

Arthritis Research Garden (Chris Beardshaw)

The garden looked much prettier viewed from the side (bar the unsightly barrier tape keeping people off the plants).

The other things that I enjoyed were the artisan retreats, which returned for a second year. No doubt they appeal to me because I hanker after a garden studio of my own, plus they’re situated in a nice quiet spot. This one housed a Japanese-style dye workshop. The clothes inside were made by students from the London College of Fashion and dyed using natural plant dyes. So pretty.

London College of Fashion’s Artisan Retreat

Rob Ryan’s Artisan Retreat

In the pavilion I was completely captivated by this display of an entire 30-year old apple tree, roots and all, that had been dug up from an orchard by East Malling Research. Utterly beautiful and displayed to great effect.

East Malling Research

If you’re going this week then have a great time. If not, there’s always the Chelsea Fringe – back for its second year there’s a host of garden-inspired events (many of them free!) happening all around London until the 9th June.

Filed under: All, Gardens/Landscape Tagged: Chelsea Flower Show 2013]]>https://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2013/05/22/chelsea-flower-show-2013/feed/8girlaboutgardenBradley-Hole GardenEast Village GardenSentebale GardenBeardshaw GardenBeardshaw Garden 2Colour Field RetreatRob Ryan RetreatEMR TreeStourheadhttps://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2013/04/04/stourhead/
https://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2013/04/04/stourhead/#respondThu, 04 Apr 2013 20:57:11 +0000http://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/?p=1474]]>I’ve wanted to visit Stourhead ever since one of my lecturers talked about it as an example of a landscape garden when I was studying at Writtle. Stourhead was modelled on the idealised landscape paintings of Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin – such gardens came to be known as ‘picturesque’ (other examples include the gardens at Stowe and Painshill – though I enjoyed Stourhead better than both). I wanted to walk around that lake; take in the carefully composed views of the classical temples and Gothic buildings that dot the route; see the historical and political references that garden-makers so liked to include back then. That was almost nine years ago now. So on our way back to London after our Easter in Cornwall we decided to stop there to break up the trek home. I’ve seen so many pictures of this garden and have wanted to visit for so long it can be hard for a place to live up to high expectations. But this garden most definitely did. It was impressive without feeling overly imposing – welcoming and perfect for strolling around as it was designed to be. A new and tantalising view opened up at every turn. It was picture-perfect, tranquil and very romantic. Henry Hoare II, who inherited the house and land from his father, created the garden from the 1740s. It’s situated in a beautiful location – where two steep valleys meet and where a natural spring called Paradise Well comes up (an apt name!). The large lake, around which the walk is designed, was created by damming the stream at the end of the valley.

Excitement! First glimpse of the Temple of Apollo as we walked into the garden from the upper entrance

Wider view across the valley

The Temple of Flora, dedicated to the Roman goddess of flowers and spring (we could do with her working some magic right now don’t you think?), was the first garden building erected in 1744-6.

View of the Pantheon across the lake through the doors of the Temple of Flora

The Grotto (or Temple of the Nymph), a popular feature in such gardens. Inside the walls and domed ceiling are lined with limestone and tufa.

By the exit is a statue of a river god.

The Gothic Cottage. They were selling tea inside so we stopped for a warming cup. It was so cold and so quiet I think they were thinking of closing up.

The Pantheon. Inspired by the one in Rome this is the largest of the garden buildings. Inside were a series of rather impressive statues standing in niches in the curved walls including one of Hercules and one of Diana, the goddess of hunting.

The Temple of Apollo approached from the Rock Arch (not pictured). My favourite of the garden buildings it stands up on a hill and is dedicated to the sun god.

View back down to the Pantheon

Temple of Apollo. You might recognise this view from Joe Wright’s adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. It’s where Matthew Macfadyen’s Darcy tells Keira Knightley’s Lizzie that he loves her; and she tells him that he’s offensive. Apparently there are many fans that want to re-enact the scene here. The spot also sees a fair few proposals and they do weddings here too. It is a gorgeous view of the garden from up here.

No, we didn’t do a re-enactment. But I did get hubs to take my picture with The view!

The end of the walk. The decorative Palladian Bridge in the foreground with the Pantheon in the distance and the Gothic Cottage just visible on the far right of the lake. You can see the sky is just turning blue. About 15 minutes after we left the garden it was glorious sunshine, dammit!

If you want to visit the garden it is possible to stay right by the garden entrance, literally a stone’s throw from the view above – either at the Spread Eagle Inn or in the National Trust holiday cottage opposite. The Stourhead estate covers 2,650 acres so there is no shortage of long walks to keep you busy!

I just love the delicate silkiness of pulsatillas. So beautiful. If I had free-draining soil or a gravel garden these would be straight in. Pulsatilla vulgaris ‘Blaue Glocke’.

The scent coming off these daffodils really packed a punch!

I always make sure I visit Sea Spring Seeds’ stand. This time Joy was displaying lots of cut-and-come-again salads. I bought a few varieties of seed. Salad and cut flowers is what I will be mostly growing in my raised beds this year.

How can you not love a hellebore? This one was a rich, chocolate-coloured beauty. Almost black. Scrumptious. Helleborus ‘Burgundy’.

A shock of pink. Bleeding heart. The genus has changed from Dicentra to Lamprocapnos. I always find it hard to dislodge the existing latin name of a plant in my head and replace it with new. Pretty sure I’ll continue to know this as Dicentra!

Apart from that anomalous Monday and Tuesday two weeks ago when it was almost hot on my patio (two days out in the garden, lunch in the warm sunshine – bliss!) the weather has felt endlessly wet and miserable and I’m well and truly ready for spring to, well, spring. We’ve even had snow. Snow for heaven’s sake. In MARCH.

Last week I was gardening at Chelsea Physic and the weather was particularly nutty. The morning was gloriously sunny, then it started snowing lightly (whilst it was sunny!) and by mid-afternoon we were getting sudden, heavy snow showers. Large, fat snowflakes poured suddenly from the sky. It was terribly pretty, if a little confusing.

A sunny morning. The grapefruit that grows outside the backdoor of the mess room. It does rather well in its cosy spot just here.

My view at lunchtime – big old olive tree, cold frames and pit house (the olive tree is thought to be the largest outdoor fruiting olive in Britain!)

I went along to the annual Garden Press Event today. In previous years it’s been held at the RHS Halls in Westminster but this year it moved to the Barbican. The Barbican is a maze of sharp angles and concrete. Designed to make you feel lost and a bit confused. I’ve been there a few times for concerts and plays but today’s event was in an exhibition hall I hadn’t been to before. Needless to say I took a few wrong turns before I found where I was supposed to be. But it meant that I went past the queue for the Rain Room, which reminded me I really must go and see that before it finishes.

Anyway, there’s rarely much that is new at these garden shows, but amongst the people I chatted to and things I picked up, these caught my eye:

Flexi Spray from Hozelock

When I worked at Savill Gardens and then Chelsea Physic Garden we used lances for watering plants all the time. They were long metal attachments that connected to the end of a hose and were really convenient for doing a lot of watering. Their long reach allows you to accurately and comfortably direct the water flow to the soil level of plants and pots. You don’t really see them in domestic use but Hozelock have brought out this new Flexi Spray product that does the same kind of thing. Only it’s extra whizzy. For a start it’s bendy, which means you can use it as a sprinkler, either with it laying on the floor or wrapping it round an upright stand such as a spade handle. And it also has four different water flow settings which you select by twisting the head. Hozelock products are normally well made so I’m looking forward to trying this out. It’s available to buy now and costs £29.99 (RRP).

For those that use grow bags (personally I am not a big fan and don’t use them myself, but many people obviously do) Hozelock have also brought out a product that helps to keep your grow bags evenly watered and allows you to securely poke your canes in to support your tomatoes – tackling two problems that, in my mind, make grow bags a right pain in the derrière to use. It’s called a Growbag Waterer and is basically a trough that holds a reservoir of water (15 litres), on top of which you place your grow bag. Capillary matting sits immersed in the water and runs up the yellow spikes, which pierce into your grow bag. You just have to keep the trough topped up with water. The matting draws water up and keeps the compost in the grow bag evenly moist. You can also push canes through the grow bag and into holes in the trough below, which keeps them in position – no more battling to get canes to stay upright in 10cms of soil whilst supporting your heavy plants (an impossible task). The Growbag Waterer is available from various online stockists and costs around £24.99.

Ethel bamboo gloves

I nearly always wear gloves when I’m gardening and I’m a loyal user of Showa gardening gloves, which I love. But when I saw these bamboo gloves on the Bulldog stand I was keen to try them out. I got some bamboo socks from mother for Christmas and they are sooo comfy, warm and breathable. These gloves come in a range of colours and are designed to fit snugly. They would make good presents. Looking forward to giving these a go.

RazorCut Comfort Bypass Pruner from Wilkinson Sword

I’ve been able to get away with relying on my little Burgon & Ball pruners since I lost my Felcos, but I’ve been on the lookout for a pair of larger pruners – Felco-replacements – at a pocket-friendly price. Felcos are great but pricey and I’m keen to give other brands a go. I like the look of this new bypass pruner from Wilkinson Sword. It’s made with Japanese steel blades and has an easy-open lock mechanism – you just squeeze the handles together. And it’s only £19.99. This is the medium-sized pair. It feels really comfy to hold at first try. We’ll see how it does when it’s used in earnest.

Black Soap from Nether Wallop Trading

I was chatting to the lovely people on the Nether Wallop stand and they were telling me about a product they are going to start selling very soon. It’s called Savon Noir (which means ‘black soap’ in French) by Marius Fabre (a maker of Marseille soap since 1900). It’s an all-natural, multi-purpose soap made from olive oil. Apparently it is common to find it in garden centres in France. You can use it to clean all manner of things in the home and garden and because it is 100% natural and biodegradable you can tip any wastewater out onto the garden afterwards. In the garden it can be used diluted and sprayed onto plants to treat greenflies and red spider mite. In that way it sounds similar to Savona (a fatty acid concentrate). Have you ever tried black soap? There weren’t any samples available today but I’m curious about the product and look forward to giving it a go.

Filed under: Uncategorized]]>https://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2013/02/14/garden-press-event-2013/feed/0girlaboutgardenGardenPressEvent2013photo 7photo 5photo 3photo 2photo 1Early autumn visit to Great Dixterhttps://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2012/10/19/early-autumn-visit-to-great-dixter/
https://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/2012/10/19/early-autumn-visit-to-great-dixter/#commentsFri, 19 Oct 2012 13:22:28 +0000http://girlaboutgarden.co.uk/?p=1383]]>Great Dixter had a plant fair on the other weekend and it was the perfect excuse to make a long-overdue return visit to one of my favourite gardens. Deservedly famous and created by its equally famous gardener-owner, the late Christopher Lloyd, this garden in East Sussex is packed with plants and is full of beauty, interest, splendid views and an awful lot of heart. Always worth a visit, I couldn’t recommend it more.

Approaching the front of the main house. There is always an impressive pot display there to greet you. No one quite does it like they do at Great Dixter.

As hubs noted on our visit, the plants own the garden here. So true and so I will let them do the talking:

The Solar Garden looking fantastic in the early October sun, with the oast house and barn making a picturesque backdrop

Purple-blue Aconitum, cerise tassels of Persicaria orientalis and the yellow suns of Rudbeckia having a party round the back of the Long Border

Spiky fuchsia-pink petals of this stunning cactus Dahlia ‘Hillcrest Royal’ lighting up the Long Border

A view down the famous herbaceous Long Border, still looking great in early autumn

The Topiary Lawn with glimpses over the distant, rolling East Sussex countryside

The house, which was Christopher Lloyd’s family home, was originally built in the mid-15th century, later restored and extended by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the early 1900s. The gardens wrap around the house so it is prominently visible from most places in the garden.

Love it or loathe it. Cortaderia, or pampas grass, looking fantastic in the Sunken Garden

I love the soft salmon-pink and perfect petals of this gorgeous Dahlia ‘Dikara Superb’. Too sublime for words.

In your face. The giant Dahlia ‘Emory Paul’ towering over me (not difficult I’ll admit, but still!) in the High Garden.

Squashes growing on top of the compost heaps, round the back of the High Garden. One day I will try this.

Truly a plantsman’s garden. Bursting with plants as far as the eye can see, back to the rooftop of the main house over the High Garden.

The Exotic Garden stuffed with luscious foliage plants. In the early ’90s Lloyd famously and bravely ripped out an 80 year old traditional Edwardian rose garden to create this. And what a great decision it was. I particularly like the orange and purple combination of the Dahlia ‘David Howard’ and Verbena bonariensis on the left of this picture.

The plant fair was small and friendly with a lovely village atmosphere. I liked the sweet-looking stalls that the nurseries set up shop under, with simple timber frames holding up a corrugated roof.

We had such a perfect afternoon out. The low autumn sun cast a beautiful light everywhere. I left with a distinct feeling that I needed more dahlias in my life next year, starting with some of the cultivars I saw here. Shopping list at the ready…!

And I also resolved not to leave it so long before I visit Dixter again next time.

Great Dixter house and gardens are open from April to October, Tuesday to Sunday.